E3 Impressions: Best of Show by Bubba "Masterfung" Wolford
	While I did not get a chance to test DI's Super Hornet for as long as I flew Jane's F/A 18, both seemed to be close in accuracy to the real jet. DI's Super Hornet, however, seemed to have an incredible roll rate which needs to be tuned down. Furthermore, since the flight model had been fully implemented, I tested Super Hornet's low speed maneuverability. Unfortunately, it seemed closer to that of an F-16 rather than an F/A-18. The producer of Super Hornet and I talked about the lack of nose authority for a minute and he mentioned several times that when they get the actual F/A-18 pilots to fly the simulation, they will ask about the low speed AoA authority of the simulation in its current state. Since I am the only person I know who had the opportunity to fly both Jane's and Digital Integration's version of the F/A-18E, I feel I have a unique right to decide which game "felt" better. Although my choice is muddied a bit since neither is finished and DI's version is much further along than Janes, I still feel that Jane's F/A-18 was closer to actual performance characteristics. Super Hornet. Jane's campaign structure is supposed to be "semi-dynamic" like that of F-15, but in the words of CJ Martin, "still more dynamic that F-15." Meanwhile, DI responded that theirs is a dynamic campaign. When pushed they stated that in actuality it is more of the same "tree" concept that Jane's was implementing. Flanker 2.0 Perhaps the most anticipated Jet Simulation of E3 was Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI) Flanker 2.0. When we first arrived in SSI's booth Friday morning Flanker 2.0 was having trouble getting started as Carl Norman was fighting with the computer. He mentioned a new build was to be downloaded that day and would be installed ASAP. Only a few minutes later we were in a closed door meeting, seeing for the first time since last year's E3 the progress of the newly designed Harpoon4. Saturday I made a return visit to SSI's booth to get my hands on Flanker 2.0. Carl Norman was flying the simulation (the newest build) and getting spanked by an F-16 and F-15 who were tag-teaming on his lowly Su-33 (the navalized variant of the Su-27.) Their tactics were unyielding and very impressive. It has become clear that the AI in Flanker on the higher levels of difficulty may be the most impressive ever seen. Click to continue		Flanker 2.0. Carl offered me the chance to land on the desk of the carrier and I quickly agreed. He restarted the simulation for me and set me about 10-15 miles from the carrier on my way to a near final approach. I put my hands on the Thrustmaster F22 PRO and TQS while Carl mentioned he would act as my LSO for the landing and handle the keyboard. I quickly agreed and concentrated on getting my Su-33 on track to make a proper final approach. It has been a long time since I had flown Su-27 version 1.5 and I don't have that many hours in the Su-27 to begin with but the Su-33 flight model was very good and extremely responsive. At this point only Falcon 4.0's flight model remains an equal to Flanker 2.0, which I would put just ahead of Jane's F-15. As I approached the carrier I made a perfect touchdown on the deck but somehow boltered. "Shoot!" I thought, "how could I have missed?" Carl, being equally as suspicious, went to an outside view and checked the aircraft. I had seen him hit the "hook" key but apparently he did not get the key all the way down because it was evident that my hook was still tucked under the Su-33. Quickly he exited the training mission and reloaded it and started me again. This time he not only lowered my flaps, gear and hook but also ensured they were down by moving to an outside view. They were all down and this time when I hit the deck, feeling the plane come to a neck-snapping halt rewarded me. Very nice! Although the Su-33 looks nice and flies well, Flanker 2.0 will have a tree-like structure in the campaign. As anticipated, no ground objects will move in any of the missions. All the components that made Flanker 1.5 so successful will return in Flanker 2.0 along with an improved flight model, better graphics (they are the best of the show), improved AI and of course, carrier operations. The Mission editor looks excellent and makes a very welcome return. Clearly, this is where the real hardcore fliers will be spending a great deal of time editing and creating custom missions for the Sue. Go to Page Three
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